


Repeat After Me: I Need A Vacation

by IWillBeTheEndofYou



Series: The Domestic Lives Of Figure Skaters [23]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Found Family, M/M, Podium Family, Road Trips, Vacations, Victor thinks he's brilliant, Yuuri is trying to keep them all calm, cramped in the car, scowling, seeing the sights, spooky cat ladies, surly teens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWillBeTheEndofYou/pseuds/IWillBeTheEndofYou
Summary: Victor decides to take his family on a good old fashioned road trip for vacation. Hilarity ensues.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: The Domestic Lives Of Figure Skaters [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046686
Comments: 223
Kudos: 158





	1. Chapter 1

"Stupid." Yuri mumbled as he climbed into the backseat of the car. He huffed to himself and crossed his arms, leaning against the door. Yuuri glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

"What's up, kiddo?" he asked, already having an inkling of what this was going to be about.

"I don't see why I can't go to Dedushka's." it was a complaint that was bordering on a whine. The older man sighed and closed his eyes. They had been having this discussion nearly nightly for the past week, since Victor announced his plan.

"A vacation?" Yuuri looked surprised. "Is it really a good time for that?"

"There's no time like the present! Yura has a school break. I can have Mila help the other students, or even send them to Lilia for a little dance instruction. It would do them some good." Victor waved off the concern. Maybe Victor had a point, if they were waiting for a good time, there would never be one. There was always something coming up. Some interview, some choreography, some new student. Something. Everything. There were times that Yuuri thought their whole life was the ice rink and then collapsing into bed. And there was nothing wrong with this life, but it was exhausting. There were times that he ached for his husband and child.

"I really don't want to do that." Yuri said bluntly.

"You will once we get going. You've never had a proper vacation, have you?" Victor looked thrilled with himself, nearly vibrating with excitement. There was no talking him down when he got into this sort of mood. And so, the teen had been roped into it. Just this morning he'd sulked as he hiked his backpack up on his shoulder. He did at least have a game system and his cell phone, along with some magazines and a few books.

"Because we're going on vacation." Yuuri explained patiently, wondering if this was testing limits or if this was really and truly something Yuri didn't want to do. And if it was something he didn't want to do, should he be forcing him? Or should they really send him to Nikolai? He worried to himself for a moment before taking a deep breath in, resigned to at least be cheerful about it. "This is something that a lot of families do." he didn't tell Yuri that the whole thing had started when he'd casually told Victor that he hadn't ever really been on vacation. Victor had been astonished and asked why not.

"Because when I was growing up, I was helping at Yu-topia during the busy seasons when everyone would be going on vacation. We were so busy! They needed me. And then in the off seasons, I had school and skating. And then when I went to college, I would just come home for my vacations if there was enough time. Other than that, I stayed in the dorms." he hadn't realized this was so strange.

Victor had started acting cagey for about a week after that, with lots of hushed phone calls and distracted texting. He refused to tell anyone exactly what it was about. Just Yuuri was starting to get worried that he was going to come home to a new puppy or something, Vitya had made his announcement. But he hadn't told their kid that it was really his doing. After all, they all knew that Yuri hadn't really been on a vacation. He made a few mentions of going to stay with distant aunts or cousins for the few weddings that had happened, but that was when he was very small, and he didn't really remember.

"Don't you two want a vacation without tripping over me?" he sighed. "I'll just be a surly teenager at you the whole time. Besides, I don't understand. I don't see the point in going and being a family somewhere else. That sounds like sitting in the living room with extra steps. And we're away from all our stuff!"

"Nonsense!" Victor beamed as he sat down in the driver's seat. "We're all going to go and have a lovely time."

"But I don't want to have a lovely time." Yuri mumbled, leaning against the window. "I'd rather be with Potya and Kuzco and Dumb-Dumb." the black kitten, sleek and clever, had been named after a Disney film. The orange kitten seemed to be lacking in the brains department, frequently finding himself stuck in places when he couldn't figure out how to back out, or caught in the couch fibers as he tried to scale it, and so had earned the unfortunate moniker. Yuri had been right to take two of the kittens, at least now he had his sibling to guide him and guard him.

"They'll have a nice time with Mila and their sister. Now, please, Yurio, will you try and enjoy it? It would make me feel better if I knew that you were at least trying." Yuuri sighed.

"Fiiine," The teen grumbled and slouched down against the window. The drive out of the city went fine, with Victor singing softly to the radio. Yuuri took the chance to close his eyes.

This is nice, he thought. A vacation. We've been so tired, so stressed. I just want this chance to enjoy each other for awhile. He couldn't deny that he was at least a little excited. He had heard about these trips, with road games and long sing alongs to the radio. But one glance into the backseat told him that his kid was probably not going to enjoy those kinds of games. But maybe he could be coaxed along, if they played some of Otabek's remixes.

"Our first stop!" Victor announced cheerfully an hour or so later. They weren't that far our of the city. He sat up, as did Yurio, exchanging curious glances with one another.

"What is this?" Yuri asked bluntly.

"A cat themed tea shop!" he clapped his hands. "Isn't it nice? Is it a good surprise? I've planned all kinds of little things like this for our trip. I know that you like cats and Yuuri likes tea."

"Okay..." Yuuri said softly. The place didn't look like the sort of shop either of them would ever frequent, with the fussy looking fake greenery in the windows and the quaint tables set with hand embroidered tablecloths. They exchanged another glance and followed Victor in.

They were immediately seated at a table and handed menus. It wasn't the nice green tea that Yuuri would have liked. It was floral concoctions, complete with jeam to be mixed in. Little finger sandwiches to be simpered over. And of course, the cat theme. The tea sets were all decorated with various cats. There were vinyl cat stickers on the walls, featuring cats playing with yarn, sleeping, leaping into the air. There were cat paintings and cat photographs.

And there were, for lack of a better term, what Yurio would later call crazy cat ladies. Older women, some with hair rinsed blue, some with tight poodle perms, scattered all over. They seemed to favor cardigans thrown over their shoulders. Their peered at the family through their bifocals. Some were smiling, some were frowning. Yuuri wasn't sure which ones he found more unsettling. He offered a sickly smile and turned his face into the menu.

"I'm getting creeped out." Yuri said under his breath, as he spotted the shelf full of ceramic cats, which all seemed to be facing them at the moment. Victor waved them off.

"Nonsense. We're having fun. Isn't it nice?"

He was so enthusiastic, the other two could only give wan smiles. The waitress tottered up to them then, a tiny woman with hair that had to make up half her height. She wore her glasses on a chain, and smelled heavily of lavender oil. Two pots of tea, a sampler tray of sandwiches. Several of the old women were peering at them and whispering to each other. Yuri felt the back of his neck heat up.

The food was delivered quickly. The blond just wanted to eat and leave. He wondered if some of the cat statues were actually vessels holding the souls of some poor cats. He had worried as well that the tray was too heavy for the ancient waitress, with her stick thin arms. If a stiff wind blew through here, half of these ladies would be swept away.

"Excuse me?" a creaky voice next to them, causing them all to jump a bit. How were these old ladies so stealthy, Yuuri wondered. "Would you all happen to be figure skaters?"

"Why yes!" Victor smiled his famous heart shaped smile. She squealed and reached into her purse, one of the biggest that Victor had ever seen, and produced a slip of paper and a pen.

"My granddaughter is fascinated. Could I trouble you...?" they each signed, seeing how her rheumy eyes just glowed. To her credit, she did thank them profusely. Yuri wondered if there really was a granddaughter, or perhaps they'd find that on eBay. Ah well, he shrugged. What they did with the merch after they were done was their business.

The bread was stale, and the tea was weak, Yuuri thought. But he wouldn't say anything to Victor about it. He was obviously happy to have found something for them. And it was thoughtful, even if it was something out of a young adult horror novel. Just as they finished drinking out of the delicate tea cups decorated with tuxedo cats, the proprietress came up to them, having been pointed out by the waitress.

"I'm told that you're rather popular in certain circles. Could I trouble you for a photograph for the wall?"

"Of course!" Victor stood and in seconds had gathered the other two around him, his arms around their shoulders. Yuuri was afraid he was going to have one of those pasted on smiles. Yuri didn't even try. After their bill was paid and the woman had gurgled her thanks, the blond rushed outside. The smell of dust and lavender was starting to get to him. He took big gulps of fresh hair.

The brunet was outside in a few seconds, rubbing the small of his kid's back. They took in a deep breaths together, enjoying the fresh air. After their heads had cleared, they eyed one another warily.

"Do you think he has more things like that planned?" Yuri bit his lower lip, glancing fearfully over his shoulder at the tea shop.

"I'm afraid so, knowing him." he sighed. This wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind when he heard vacation. Well, you couldn't say that life wasn't an adventure with Victor, at least.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to buy me a ticket to Dedushka's?" he threw him a pouty look. "Spare me some of this?"

"Oh no, Yuri. I'm afraid that if I have to go through this, so do you." he steadied his jaw. "And he did try and make us happy. We should be a little bit grateful, shouldn't we?"

"I hate it." Yuri said bluntly. Yuuri could only sigh and walk him to the car, settling him in the backseat. He even leaned in and did up the seatbelt for him, a gesture that one would expect to give for a small child, but which Yuri accepted. There were times, Yuuri thought, that he needed a little coddling. Maybe if he could walk the line, he could keep him settled.

He curled back into the front seat. The tiny, stale sandwiches hadn't been much for lunch, and he hoped that dinner would be something a little more hearty. Victor practically came skipping back to the car. They gave each other a silent look and agreed to at least look happy with the outing.

"Was that a good surprise?" he bubbled as he started the car.

"Oh yes," Yuuri said in a hurry. "The best. Do you have anything else like that planned?" he hoped that his voice sounded upbeat and

"A few things," Victor kept his voice mysterious. "I promise you'll like all of them as much as you've liked the cat tea shop."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor found a lovely motel for the night! As long as you're in a hazmat suit.

“Here we are!” Victor pulled up to what looked like a set from a backwoods horror film. Yuuri and Yuri exchanged a glance. “A quaint little motel.”

“It—sure is that.” Yuuri said weakly.

“Does it have running water?” Yuri muttered. He looked reluctant to get out of the car. He wondered if he could, perhaps, hunker down in it for the night. But the glare the brunet was giving him told him to get out. With a groan, he opened the door and crawled out.

They walked through the cracked parking lot to the little building labeled 'Office' in peeling letters. An older man sat behind the desk, a tiny TV playing a black and white film. The office smelled like moth balls and spilled wine. Yuri focused on not crinkling his nose.

“Hello,” Victor grinned at the man. He stared at them behind his tiny, black rimmed glasses. He hooked one thumb behind his suspenders and eyed them all. Yuri felt like he was peering into his soul, taking a tally of his sins.  
“We'd like two adjoining rooms.”

“Don't have that here.” the man grunted.

“No? Well, can we get two queen size beds?”

“S'pose.” the man grumbled and reached fro the peg board behind him. He contemplated his choices for a moment before handing them a ring with two rusty keys on it.  
“Big one is for the room, little one is for the water closet.”

“There aren't toilets in each room?” Yuuri blurted, fiddling with his glasses. 

“Nope,” the man smirked. “Most people here don't need 'em. How many hourse will you be here?”

“What?” Victor asked flatly. “We're here for the night.”

A shudder ran up Yuri's spine. He realized then exactly what kind of motel they had found themselves in. He suddenly wanted a pair of rubber gloves before he touched anything. He just crammed his hands deeper into his pockets.

“Right,” the man said after a beat. He shrugged and held out a book for Victor to sign. He accepted the keys and walked them down the row of doors, the bright red paint peeling and faded. He found their number, 13, and opened the door.

It smelled of mildew and old beer bottles. There was a television on the dress, and two beds that looked like they had likely seen better days. When Vitya sat on the edge of one, it sagged beneath his weight. 

There was a small television on the dresser, with it's stained wood. When Yuri approached, he found the source of the beer smell. Of course it was a beer bottle with a few cigarette butts floating in it. He stared, horrified for a moment or two.

“Cozy, isn't it?” Victor looked between his husband and child, who seemed to be communicating something with their eyes. He wondered if he should be concerned about their seemingly new telepathic powers.

“It's nice,” Yuuri finally said with a tight smile. The blond scoffed and sat gingerly on the other bed.

“How about some television?” Victor waved the remote and clicked the power button. The television did not emit a warm glow, now even crackle. It remained dark and silent. They stared expectantly for a moment. Yuri wandered back over.

“There's no power cable.”

“I'm sorry?” Yuuri blinked.

“It doesn't plug into the outlet, because there's no power cord.” he frowned. “I guess most of their patrons don't actually watch television when they come here.” there was an uncomfortable beat of silence again.

“What kind of motel is this? They don't have a television even?” Victor clicked his tongue. “Sorry you two. I thought it would just be fun for once.”

“It's fine.” Yuri said tightly. He sat back down and pulled out his phone. At least he had that going for him. Yuuri idly opened the drawer of the night table. He turned red and slammed it shut in a hurry.  
“What, Katsudon?”

“Nothing!” he squeaked. So that certainly meant there was something in there. He smirked and brushed his guardian to the side and opened it. Sure enough, inside there was a fire engine red, lacyt thong.

“What a strange thing to leave. Usually there's a Bible in there, no?” Victor looked confused.

“It's a no-tell motel, idiot.” the blond laughed and slammed the drawer shut. He was disgusted and fascinated himself. Yuuri was turning bright red, burying his face in his hands.

“What do you mean?” 

“It's like the love hotel you and I went to in--.”

“What?!?” Yuri squealed. He felt his own face heating up. “Never mind! Never mind!” he cried. “Please don't tell me about this. This is something I really don't want to know.”

The very image of them doing those things. He made a fake gagging sound and collapsed onto his bed. Yuuri let out a groan and didn't removed his face from where it was in his palms. Victor even turned a little bit pink.

“But why would they do that here? The love hotel was at least kind of nice. This place is disgusting.” he moved his foot and cringed when he heard the carpet squishing.  
“Would you two be horribly upset if we didn't stay here?”

“No!” they both shouted in unison. 

“For the love of God, Vitya, PLEASE can we leave?” Yuri begged.

“I don't think I can drive anymore tonight.” he bit his lower lip. “And it is so dark out, I don't think Yuuri should drive either. Where will we sleep?”

“Well, we're not sleeping here. I think the roaches would evict us.” Yuri stood up. He peered through the dingy window. The light in the office had gone out. No hope in getting any of their money back.  
“Let's all take a piss and try and sleep in the car.”

The bathroom was rather unfortunate. Filth caked the toilet, and the tap leaked rusty water. They all decided to take a walk into the empty parking lot and try and clean their hands with the sanitizer Yuuri packed. Yuri had scoffed at the time, teased about that and the wipes that he put in a bag.

Well, he was ready to eat his words. He dripped some onto his palm and rubbed them together as Victor rifled in the trunk. He triumphantly held up a few small fleece blankets. He turned on the car and let it warm as all three of them tried to get comfortable.

Yuri scrunched into the backseat. His legs were much too long, and even trying to curl up in the fetal position wasn't very helpful. He could already feel the crick growing in his neck. His guardians didn't fare much better. 

Victor cranked his seat back as far as he could without pulverizing Yuri. He dropped an eye mask down. But years of sleeping sitting up on a plane, in vans, and on benches had prepared him for such a moment. He was at least able to doze off a bit.

Yuuri had a neck pillow, which was a little helpful. He reached back and twitched the blanket higher on Yurio. The car had to be turned off, and he was afraid they'd all die of the chill. He closed his eyes. But the night sounds, the occasional car driving down the road always snapped him out of any kind of sleep he had.

At some point, all three of them fell asleep. Yuri was mumbling in his sleep, fingers wriggling. Victor was dead asleep, his head turned towards Yuuri. Yuuri was asleep, his hands resting against his belly. It would have been a wonderful scene, had they not been huddled in the car.

Footsteps crunched towards them, across the gravel of the worn parking lot. They did not stir. The clouds drifted in, covering up the moon and the little bit of light that it provided. The figure carried on walking, heedless of the dark, or of the cool wind that blew through the weeds, prospering in the cracked cement.

The figure stood by the car for a moment, peering into the windows. They contemplated the pretty blond hair that shone in the dim. They looked at the curves of Victor's lips, the slope of Yuuri's nose. And then the knuckles raised and rapped on the glass.

Yuuri's eyes shot open, his glasses almost sliding off. He saw the shadowy figure and screamed. Victor startled awake, shooting upwards. His head slammed into the top of the car, rubbing the spot he looked out Yuuri's window, echoing his shout.

The screams had woken Yurio, who flailed in the backseat, twisting himself in the blanket and somehow managing to knee himself in the chin. He winced and peered into the darkness. The figure loomed and he squeaked.

“What do we do?” Yuuri hissed.

“Who is there?” Victor shouted.

“It's just me,” a familiar voice. They blinked a few times, looking at each other. Victor's hands shook as he lifted his phone, shining it out the window. The man from the office stood there, staring at them as though they were aliens.

“What do you need?” Victor asked.

“I came to check. I noticed that your room was empty, and I see the car. I was worried.” he crossed his arms. “Why are you sleeping in the car?”

How could they answer that question? Victor rubbed the top of his head while Yuuri fixed his glasses, hoping for a tactful way to discuss it.

“Because it was nasty and there was dirty underwear in the drawer and the television didn't work.” Yuri growled. “And you were gone, so we couldn't even get our money back. It was disgusting.”

“Well, maybe the cleaning girl missed that room.” the man began.

“For the past century, maybe!” Yuri snarled. “And the toilet looked like it was growing a new species of e.coli! How can you run a place like this? I feel like we need shots just having stepped foot in here!”

Yuuri and Victor were quiet. They knew they probably should have hushed him, hissed at him to mind his manners. But it was the middle of the night, and they were tired, and cold, and cranky. Who could blame them for not exactly feeling polite? Besides, Yuuri reasoned, their kid was miserable, and they certainly didn't want to bare the brunt of that when it wasn't their fault.

“Now, there's no reason to be upset...” the man was turning red. “I have your money, right here. I was going to give it back, as soon as I knew where the key went. I didn't want to have to get new locks.”

“Those locks have a decade of rust and shame coating them. Anyone could burst in if they looked at it too hard. Give Victor the money.”

“What are two grown men doing riding around with a little boy in their car?” the man narrowed his eyes as he reached into his pocket. Victor snarled, opening up his door.

“What, exactly, are you trying to insinuate?” he crossed his arms, staring down the man.

“I don't think I will give you the money back, pretty boy.” the man sneered. “You're lucky I don't call the police.”

“You're lucky I don't call the health department!” Victor roared. “Take your keys.” he held out the rusty bits of metal. As the man reached for them, a fist met his gut. He doubled over, gasping. Yuri   
stood over him, seething.  
“Don't talk to my dad that way.” he spat. He bent over and plucked a few bills, handing them to Victor.  
“I don't care where we go park, but I'm not staying in this parking lot.”  
“All right, all right.” Victor ushered him back into the car. He glanced at the old man before climbing into the car himself. If he thought that about them, he was likely a dirty old man. Which shouldn't have been a surprise, given the business he was running.   
Yuuri had sat the seat up, and was kneeling, talking to Yura. Somewhere between lecturing and asking if he was okay. Victor could only start the car and peel out of the parking lot. The blond sat in the backseat, scowling to himself.  
“I only just got to sleep, too.” he muttered.  
“I know, I know. It's been a bad night. But I've slept a bit and so we can drive now. I don't need much sleep. You two close your eyes. At least it'll be warm.”   
The brunet curled up again, falling asleep easily. The blond let his eyes close. Victor kept glancing in the backseat at the kid.  
He called him 'dad'.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never, ever eat at a sketchy McDonald's.

"He actually called you 'dad'?" Yuuri asked in a hushed voice, awe evident.

"Yes!" Victor couldn't contain his glee. They drove quietly for a few moments.

"He doesn't call me dad." the brunet muttered, unable to quell his jealousy.Of course he was happy for Victor, and even Yuri, too. He had just thought that if anyone was going to get a title like that, it was going to him. It was silly, this wasn't a competition. But he still kept considering all the things he did. All the cuddles, the late nights he was up with nightmares.

Of course, he didn't do those things because he expected something back from Yuri. He had once told the blond that he loved taking care of him, and that was true. When he had told their friends that Yuri taught him so much about love and family, he meant it. He did those things at first out of a sense of duty, but then he did them because he wanted to. He wanted to take care of Yuri and make sure he had the things he needed. Pity didn't even play into it anymore. It was done because he wanted the best for the kid.

His kid.

He just wanted to do the best he could for his son.

He craned his neck and peered into the back. Yuri was still asleep against the window, his lips parted slightly. It had been such a disaster of a night. He was outraged at the implications of that filthy man back at the motel. And Yurio never should have punched him, of course, but... well, who could blame him? The suggestions that he had put down? Yuuri shuddered.

"Maybe we should try staying at a chain hotel tonight." Victor said softly. He looked disappointed.

"Do you think so?"

"I just wanted to try new things. We stay so often in those luxury places. I wanted to go somewhere different. I thought we'd enjoy the experience and have a nice time together. I wasn't thinking that it would be a place like that." he shuddered. "I still want to take a bath in Purell."

"Maybe we can go somewhere with a pool and a hot tub." Yuuri mused. He pulled out his phone. "How far did you want to drive today?"

"Don't worry about it, love. I'll take care of it."

Yuuri didn't bother to add that he had been taking care of things up until now, and all it had gotten them was creepy cat ladies and a disgusting hotel that probably gave them tetanus. He sat quietly in the car, flipping through his phone. It wasn't long until Yuri stirred in the backseat, grumpily asking about breakfast and a stop to piss.

"I don't know if there's anywhere good to stop." Victor frowned.

"For the love of all that is holy, can we please just stop at McDonald's?" Yuri asked bluntly. "I cannot stand anymore cutesy things that you choose."

"That's not a nice way to talk to your dad." he pouted as he steered them towards the exit. Yuri groaned dramatically.

"I only called you that because he was thinking you guys were doing something nasty. And you're old and boring and clingy and gross with each other, but you're not nasty with anyone else." he scoffed. Although he could think of a few people who probably wished the pair would be nasty with them. That was an even worse thought. He gave a full body shudder.

Neither one of them responded, although they did share a secret smile, their hands coming to touch in the front seat. It was all Yuri could do not to gag. He just waited until they got to McDonald's and piled out. It felt nice to stretch, to brush his teeth in their sinks, to wash his face and hands. Yuuri had even remembered to grab him a clean t shirt to change into.

They ordered breakfasts. Yuri hadn't wanted the yogurt parfait the other two men chose, delighted instead with a sausage biscuit. The orange juice had a strange taste to it. But maybe that was just from a different McDonald's than the one he was used to. Once everyone had dumped their tray, they were back in the car. He pulled out his game, beginning to play.

The old people chatted in the front seat. Yuri squirmed, feeling uncomfortably warm. He shed his jacket. That got him a glance from concerned brown eyes, but when he tried to be still, they focused back up front. He wriggled in his seat. There was an uncomfortable pressure in his belly that he couldn't quite get rid of, no matter how hard he tried.

A cramping sensation spread through him. He winced, pressing a hand against his gut. Maybe it was just some gas. He rolled down the window. The rush of cool wind did make him feel better for a moment. He swallowed a few times and took a sip off his water bottle, hoping that would be enough.

"Are you okay, sweetheart? You're awfully pale."

"I'm fine!"

"Are you warm?" Victor reached for the temperature gauges on the car.

"I said I'm fine." he really wanted to stop talking. If he could keep his mouth shut, maybe he'd feel better. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to ride the waves of nausea that were crashing over him. Yuuri tapped Victor's arm.

"Find a place to pull over."

"He said he's fine."

"And I said to find a place to pull over, and do it quickly." Yuuri snapped. Victor jolted and steered them to the next exit. It wasn't often that Yuuri made a demand like that, so he was inclined to listen. He'd just pulled into a rest stop when the kid in the back gave a pitiful groan. Yuuri was already unbuckling himself before they had even been put into park.

Yuri was scrambling for his own seat belt. The door was wrenched open and Yuuri undid the belt and helped him out. They got out of the car just in time as he stomach lurched and he bent forward. One strong arm was wrapped around his waist, the other hand was holding his hair back as his stomach rejected the breakfast he was so happy to eat. He tried to relax through it.

"It's okay, it's all right. You're okay." Yuuri was saying softly. Once the boy had stopped heaving, he helped his stand up straight and lean against him. He peered into his eyes. He pressed his lips to his forehead, letting them linger. "You don't have a fever. That's good."

"Is he okay?" Victor finally opened the door now that the retching had stopped. He took in the sight of his son and husband mentally kicked himself. Of course he wasn't okay. He instead went into the rest stop and bought a few bottles of water, even grabbing some paper towels.

Yuuri thanked him softly and poured some water into a paper towel, wiping the left over sick from Yuri's mouth, then wiping the sweat from his forehead. Yuuri sighed at the hair. It would be nice to tie the mess back until he could get the kid showered. But he didn't have any elastics. Instead, he held another water bottle to Yuri's mouth, helping him to rinse.

"Better?" he murmured in his ear. The young Russian nodded, seemingly happy to let Yuuri hold his weight. He maneuvered them both neatly into the back seat, settling his kid's head against his shoulder.

"What if he gets sick again?"

"I'm washable." Yuuri said softly. "It's fine. If you're worried about the car, go and get big to go cups. Put napkins in the bottom for splash back. We'll wait."

Yuri didn't bother to lift his head. Katusdon was so soft, so warm, so comfortable. He wanted to burrow in further. A hand came to the back of his neck, lifting his hair and letting cool, fresh air blow against his warm skin. He sighed when a damp paper towel was wiped down his skin there. He let his eyes close, still feeling dizzy.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, baby. Everything is fine. Nothing is broken, nothing is ruined. I'm sorry you don't feel good." Katsudon was quick to reassure him. "Why don't I stay in the backseat with you in case you need me?"

"Don't you want to sit with Victor? Thought we went on vacation so you had time."

"I wanted time with both of you. And if you need me more right now, then I'm back here with you. Victor won't care." he picked up the fleece blanket and draped it over Yuri. "Just try and get some rest."

Victor returned with the to go cups and napkins. He started the car again and headed off, driving a little more slowly, mindful of bumps. Yuri stayed curled against the older man the whole time, who left one arm wrapped around him. He could scroll his phone with the other hand, look out the window, talk quietly to Victor. He didn't seem to mind being lounged all over.

"Yuuri," Victor purred.

"Hmm?"

"I think I know why he doesn't call you 'dad'?"

"Oh? Why is that?" he put his phone to the side, looking trapped between amusement and exasperation. Which was how most people dealt with Victor, now that he thought about it.

"Because you're more like Mummy!" Victor chortled. Yuuri rolled his eyes and gave him a playful clip at the back of the head. Victor only laughed and kept driving, until he saw a sign for a chain hotel. "We'll stay here. We could go further, but he needs a bath and you look tired, too."

Yuuri hummed in agreement. He stayed in the car while Victor arranged for their room. He came to the car and lifted out Yuri, who fussed slightly, coming back to the land of the living. He was cradled bridal style in Victor's arms. He blinked, eyes dragging around.

"Katsudon?"

"He's here, he's here. Don't fuss." Victor soothed him. He handed the keycard to his husband, carried their son and took him to the bathroom when Yuuri bid him too. He was shooed out and heard the tub running. It wasn't long before Yuuri scurried out, gathering up a pair of pajamas for the kid, went back in. He helped the blond out, walking him to a bed and laying him down, a waste bin by the head of his bed.

Victor watched, feeling his heartthrob as Yuuri pressed another kiss to Yuri's forehead. The boy only pulled the blankets up high.

"We'll order him some broth from room service. He said he doesn't feel ready yet, but we have to get something into his belly.'" he stretched and rubbed the small of his back.

"Are you bothered that he doesn't call you dad?"

"Maybe a little." a light blush spread across Yuuri's face. "I can't pretend that I'm not jealous."

"Do you know, Yuuri, he doesn't ask for me when he's unwell. He only asks for you. When he got cut at the rink, when he's upset. He doesn't seek me out. If I left while angry, I don't think that he would have chased me. He doesn't want me the way he wants you."

"Does that bother you?" his husband asked quietly, thoughtfully.

"Maybe sometimes. I think he wants me when he wants to feel--hmm, safe maybe? But he wants you when he wants to feel something else. We knew that he did that. But, I don't know, Yuuri. I think we both just have our roles, and he's the one who picked them for us. I think that makes it feel more real. Don't you?"

''Maybe."

"I could never be the way you are. You can handle tears and heavy emotions. I can't. I'm not good at that. I can't give him that. But you can! And you do it beautifully. Hell, you knew he was going to upchuck before I did. If I had to hold his hair back, I would have been puking right along with him. But you handled it like a champ." Victor looked a little sheepish.  
"I couldn't do this without you, Yuuri. I couldn't take care of him the best way possible, the way he needs, if I didn't have you with me."

"I love being a family with the two of you." Yuuri swallowed hard. "There's nothing I love more."

Victor caught his chin, leaned in to kiss him. Just as they broke apart, they heard rustling. Before they had broken eye contact, they heard the gagging. Yuuri cringed, hoping he was playing up as he normally did. Instead, the kid was clutching the waste bin to his chest, heaving violently.

"Go and get some ice, Dad." he playfully shoved Victor towards the door. "We'll be in here."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor WOULD forget a spare tire, wouldn't he?

The weather was nice. The windows were down. Driving down the countryside was a nice break from the highway, Yuuri thought. He let his chin rest on his palm, his elbow on the car door. The air smelled sweet, instead of the grime and dust of other cars. He closed his eyes, the ends of his hair tickling his chin. His husband hummed along to the radio, and even Yuri was calm in the backseat, looking at a magazine he'd bought at a gas station.

It was, perhaps, too nice, given everything else that had happened on this trip. He felt a sudden bump, and the car began to tilt. Victo quickly pulled off and climbed out. He gave a gasp of dismay. Yuri and Yuuri exchanged a glance before Yuuri got out. He sighed as he and Victor stared at the popped tire.

"Do you know how to change a tire?"

"No," Yuuri shook his head. "Don't you?"

Victor just shrugged.

"I'm either traveling with a group or I stay in the city. I've never needed to before." he shrugged sheepishly. Yuuri scrubbed his hand down his face.

"Well, let's get the spare tire out of the trunk. We can at least try, can't we?" he tried to sound upbeat, although wrestling with a flat tire and a husband who would prefer not to get oil on his jacket didn't sound fun. There was no help for it, though. He knelt down in the grass on the side of the road, looking up at Victor. The Russian only looked down at his shoes. "What is it?"

"We don't have a spare tire."

"What?" he asked dumbly.

"I didn't put one in the trunk." he shrugged. "I didn't think we'd need it. And the trunk is full of our bags."

"Victor..." he couldn't keep the disappointment out of his voice. He pulled out his phone, ready to Google to see who could come and rescue them. But of course, there was no service out here. He stared blankly at his phone, feeling panic begin to rise. Victor stood there looking like he wanted to be amused by the situation. "I think there was a town a ways back. I'll walk and see if there's a phone I can use." he rose up slowly.

"No, no, it's my fault." Victor waved his hands. "It won't take me long."

"That's silly, I'll go. You stay with Yura."

"No, no." Victor was already off, walking down the lone road. "I need to hurry before it gets dark. There could be bears around."

Yuuri wasn't sure if he was joking about that. But even if he was, he was pretty sure they couldn't fend off a bear. Yuri stuck his head out the window.

"What's going on?"

"We have a flat and no spare. Victor is off to secure rescue for us now." he tried to smile at the teen. He didn't, at least, scoff and scowl or call Victor an idiot. He only shrugged and got out of the car, stretching his arms above his head.

"Can we walk around?"

"Not much to see," Yuuri shrugged, rubbing his upper arm. "We shouldn't go too far from the car, but I think stretching our legs would be nice. Wouldn't it?"

The blond nodded, and they began to wander into the field next to the car. He tried to keep an eye out for ant hills or plants with nettles. But things looked calm. The pair walked in silence until they stumbled across a few patches of wildflowers. Yuuri was delighted. The colors were so bold and bright, and they were sweet enough to smell. He gentle sat down, looking closer at the petals and leaves.

"Aren't they pretty, baby?" he half expected the teenager to shrug and walk off, but instead he nodded and dropped down next to Yuuri.

"They grew like this by the orphanage."

"Did they?" he kept his tone light, careful not to pry. Yuri nodded, his hands automatically picking a few. He began to weave them together into a crown. The older man let his hands rest on his thighs. He had not anticipated this was something that the kid was going to be skilled at. He thought, for a moment, he should teach him origami.

"We'd go outside and some of the girls would sit with me and make flower crowns. There wasn't much else to do, so I learned."

"I didn't think you remembered much about the orphanage."

"I don't." his voice went flat. "It was dark and dirty, there was never enough anything for anyone. That's all I really remember." he got the feeling there was more there, but he wasn't going to pry. His heart ached a little bit. He wanted to reach back into the past and pluck that little boy with golden hair, draw him into his chest, whisper in his ear that things were going to be fine. He wanted to make things fine.

"That's beautiful." he praised, when Yuri held up a little crown made of small white flowers with larger pink ones. He smiled and handed it over to Yuuri, who placed it on his head, blushing a bit.

"You look like you're going to a music festival."

"Not really my scene." Yuuri watching his weave another one together, this one with some of the tiger lilies that grew. Yuri put it on and stood up, offering his hand to the brunet. Even when he was standing, the kid didn't release his hands. He gave the slender fingers a little squeeze and they continued their walk, breathing in the sweetness of the air.

"Are you mad?" Yuri asked nervously.

"About what?" he asked, confused. "The flat tire? No. Thinks happen."

"No.. That--that I called Victor Dad?"

"Oh honey, no, of course not." he said smoothly. And he wasn't mad, he just just jealous. But the kid looked a little relieved.

"Because I really just called him that to get that weird old man to leave us be." he said quickly. "Not because I like him better than you or anything like that." Well, now that was all cleared up. He just squeezed the fingers and didn't speak more about it.

Yuuri realized that things had gotten wooded, even though he hadn't really been aware they had walked like that. He glanced around him. How far had they been walking? Where were they? He had been enjoying the shade from the sun. He had been enjoying feeling a bit like they were in a fairy tale, he and Yuri. Wandering through. Would a wolf come for them?

He almost smiled at that. Victor was the wolf, of course. Victor came in and swallowed them both whole, and neither one of them had complained. They had embraced the wolf, and begged for all that he could offer them. He offered them family, stability, love. The wolf gave them everything they had ever wanted. He stopped walking though and spun around.

"I think we need to go back."

"Huh?" Yuri looked up. "Oh. Maybe. I can't see the car anymore."

"Me neither." he confessed. A cool blew over them then, and he shivered, realizing that he'd left his coat in the car. He looked up, and the first tiny drop of rain came down through the canopy the trees above them wove. Yuri looked surprised to. Their hands held tighter, and they began to run through the woods towards their car.

The rain seemed to fall in a sheet over them. The pounding along the leaves was beautiful though, Yuuri though, as his shirt soaked and clung to him. He pulled Yuri along a little faster, as the petals of their flower crowns slipped off, leaving a trail behind them, and clinging to their hair. Yuri looked all the more like a character from a fairy tale, perhaps one that was going to be rescued. His big green eyes, and his long golden hair. He was enchanting. Yuuri wondered, for a moment, if that was part of the armor of sarcasm and bitterness that Yuri wore.

He could look so vulnerable when he wasn't scowling. And vulnerable people in vulnerable situations did not tend to do well.

He regretted not being able to rescue him sooner.

The woods felt like they would never end. The rain was stinging against his skin, tiny cold needles that wrapped around his bones, making him shiver. He knew the kid next to him wasn't doing much better. With one final push, they were out of the woods, back near the flower patch. They saw the car in the distance, a truck pulling up.

"Victor will worry," he shouted over the rain. Yuri just nodded, strands of hair sticking to his cheeks and forehead. The grass was soupy as they ran, the ground sucking at their shoes. He hoped he could get to dry socks quickly. He raced across the field, mud flicking up towards the knees of their pants. Victor had plastered his face to the window of the tow truck, his hands around his eyes with worry.

"There you are!" he opened the door and shouted. "I was afraid a bear had eaten you up!" he chuckled. "Yurio, you look like a drowned kitten."

"Shut up, old man." he shouted, clearly grumpy. The tow truck driver, a fairly young man in an olive colored coverall jumped out. Victor scooted into the middle seat.

"Is that any way to talk to your dad?" Victor teased.

"You're not my dad, dammit." Yuri growled. "And if you were, you wouldn't even be the only one. What would that make Yuuri?"

"Your step dad?" Victor offered.

"No," he frowned. "He's my dad, too, then."

"Well, you can't have two dads."

"Why not? You have two Yuris."

"He has you there, darling." Yuuri laughed. He climbed into the truck onto the towel that Victor spread. He patted his lap. Yuri groaned as he climbed in, curling his arms around the older man's neck. No point in Victor getting soaked if he didn't have to. They shivered for a bit, the air conditioning in the truck chilling them even more.

"Yes, but if you call for 'dad' we won't know who you mean." Victor pouted, obviously upset that he was going to have to share the title with his husband. Yuri just shrugged.

"It's not like I actually call you that." Yuri mumbled. He seemed to burrow into the brunet, trying to get some warmth. Yuuri rubbed up and down his back. Another towel was handed to him, and he began to try and dry Yuri as much as he could, before he even worried about himself.

"The truck is going to take us to his garage in town. He said it won't take long to change the tire and we can be on our way. You two are drenched."

"How did you make it to town before the rain?"

"I saw the driver on the road. He was coming back from somewhere else. Lucky timing on my part, wasn't it?" his heart shaped smile. Yuuri wanted to kick him. The tire went flat and they hadn't had a spare because of him. And he had a nice ride back to the car while they got stuck in the downpour. Instead he just made a sour face.

The towel was too damp to be of any good to them now by the time the driver got back in and gave them a big grin before taking them back to the tiny town. He kept glancing at them. Yuuri wanted to give him a dirty look. He reached up then and felt the last bits of the flower crown in his hair. He and Yuuri must have looked like rejects from a Disney film. He blushed and pulled ito ut. Only one little white flower remained whole. He untangled the mess for Yuri's hair, pressed the two white flowers together and carefully held them in his hand.

As soon as they got to the garage, he hurried to the trunk, fishing out closed for both of them. He took one of his hardcover books and gently placed the flowers between the pages in the middle. He wanted to keep one little piece of the fairy tale.

"Katsudon!" Yuri called from the tiny waiting room of the mechanic's garage. "Victor says we can have whatever we want for dinner, since we got stuck in the rain and soaked. I want ice cream."

"Ice cream isn't dinner." he said automatically, then paused and shrugged. Why not? It was vacation, wasn't it? "Actually, that sounds nice."

"You look like a drowned little kitten." Victor said fondly as his husband came back in with dry clothes. "Our cute little kitten."

"I will claw your eyes out." Yuri spat, holding his hand out. He took his outfit and stalked towards the bathroom. He did pause and glance back over his shoulder. "Thank you, Papa." he mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more ideas for this fic;  
> Going to a creepy/outdated/lame amusement park.  
> Getting lost on GPS.  
> Getting stuck in traffic and telling really bad jokes.  
> A chapter about the postcards the guys have written home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor's childhood amusement park is made of rust and creepy people.

"Here we are!" Victor finally announced. The other two stared at the half empty parking lot, and the slightly rusty sign. Yuuri couldn't make out the writing.

"You took us, of all places, to PlayLand?" Yuri's jaw had nearly hit the floor. 

"Yes!" Victor beamed "Do you love it? Are you surprised?"

"Like, three people died here, Victor." the green eyed boy shook his head in disbelief. 

"But that was before the safety regulations. Everything is fine." he waved off the concern. Yuri looked disturbed as he climbed out of the car. Yuuri had considered begging off, pleading to call for a ride to their hotel. But he couldn't very well let Yuri go into such a place with Victor, who knew what kind of nonsense was going to happen?

He trailed behind them as Victor bought tickets. The whole park was painted in faded pastel colors, and the bushes were just this side of overgrown. You could tell they had been trimmed in different shapes, although now it was harder to tell, and they looked vaguely menacing. Victor looked around the buildings with their chipping paint, his eyes shining.

"Let's go ride the Ferris Wheel." he insisted.

"Hopefully it will come off the holders and roll away, ending our misery." Yuri mumbled. Yuuri should have elbowed him, but well, the kid was entitled to his feelings. This vacation hadn't been exactly great, especially for him with the food poisoning. Maybe this could be the saving grace. He just had to be optimistic about it.

As they headed towards the section of the park with the tides, Yuuri let his eyes take in the candy apple stands, the cotton candy stands, the lemonade stands. Pretty par for the course, he mused. He stopped dead in his tracks when a very large pair of red shoes stepped in front of him.

A clown in white make up with red triangles above his eyebrows and below his lower lip grinned eerily. Yuuri gave him a sickly thin smile and tried to step away. The clown stepped in his way again. He had on baggy red overalls and a blue wing made of tinsel. He kept grinning at Yuuri, who tried to side step him one more time. But the clown matched his every move.

"Please move?" Yuuri asked in broken Russian. 

The clown launched into a quick Russian, gesturing around with his long gloves. Yuuri looked helplessly around. A few of the other parkgoers were giggling, some staring in discomfort. But he didn't see Victor or Yuri. He couldn't keep up with the clown's speech, and maybe caught the phrase 'child', but he wasn't sure. 

"I need to find my family." he said slowly and deliberately. The clown nodded enthusiastically and grabbed Yuuri by the wrist, using exaggerated motions to pull him. "No, wait,"

"Let go of him, asshole!" Yuri growled from behind them, The clown spun and stared, pressing his hand to his mouth. He pointed at the teen, dancing around like a little kid who had just gotten a friend into trouble. Yuri took one menacing step towards him and the clown scampered off, towards a group of children. He pantomimed crying, pointing at Yuri.

The blond only scowled, grabbing Yuuri's hand and pulling him a little ways up. Victor was giggling. The brunet scowled at his husband.

"Dad wouldn't let me rescue you sooner." Yuri muttered. "Sorry,"

"It's fine," he stroked his hand down the blond's hair. "We'll just get an apple later and not give him one bite."

"Having fun?" Victor asked sweetly. Yuuri didn't bother to reply as they stood in line for the Ferris Wheel. Upon closer inspection, it didn't look like the nicer modern ones. It had little carriages without tops, and a single bar to go across the lap. The whole machine creaked and groaned as it went up and down. The bored looking man running it waved them into one of the carriages and dropped the bar without checking to see if it was snug.

They were slowly going upwards, the ride creaking and whining, like an old man rising from a chair. Yuuri gripped the bar tightly and peeked over the side. It was a long way down. The bar wasn't going to help them. He knew that. It was better than nothing, though. They got to the top and stopped. Victor looked nostalgic as he looked around.

"It feels so nice up here."

Yuri shrugged. It looked like a decrepit amusement park to him. He looked over at Yuuri, his face pale, his hands gripping the bar. Slowly, he began to rock them back and forth. The carriage made a rusty sort of sound and then began to sway freely. He wondered if he could get them to do a whole loop.

"Stop! Please!" Yuuri begged. "I don't wanna die here!"

"Of course we're not going to die here. But please, stop Yuri. You're ruining the tranquility." he reached out and put his hands on the younger man's. He only shrugged and stopped. The ride kept rotating, and they approached the bottom. Yuuri couldn't seem to climb out fast enough.

"Well, that was an adventure!" he tried to sound enthusiastic. "Why don't we go and--." he froze. There, waving to him cheerfully, was the clown with the blue wig again. The Japanese man groaned and spun in the other direction, moving rapidly. Victor trotted to keep up with him. Yuuri didn't speak as he waited in line for another ride.

"You want to go on this one?" Victor asked. Yuri had slipped away, drifting towards the arcade, blasting loud sounds and flashing lights. 

"I don't see why not." Yuuri shrugged, glancing around, on the lookout for the clown. The line moved rapidly, and before they knew it, they were being seated again. At least this time, the ride operator tightened their belts. Yuuri gave her a grateful smile and looked around.

He had, of course, found the highest roller coaster in the park.

"Wait, I changed my--." he began. The coaster began to move, and Victor grabbed his hand. It was a long, slow trek up the top of the first hill. The rails were rust colored, which may have been the paint or the rust. The rickety feeling of the wheels as they stopped for one heart stopping moment before dropping. Victor began to laugh, shouting playfully. Yuuri felt his heart was going to leap out of his mouth. Both hands grabbed Victor's arm as they raced along the track. Tears flooded his eyes from the wind.

The ride screeched to a halt, ending as abruptly as it had begun. They climbed off, Yuuri's knees shaking. He gasped for breath, clinging to Victor as they walked back down to the main path.

"I never knew you were such a daredevil. I like this side of you."

"What's up, nerds?" Yuri appeared, holding a stuffed cat with fluffy orange fur. "I found a Dumb-Dumb double. I thought we could show him when we got home and he'd be confused."

"You're cruel." Victor shook his head.

"I'm good at Skee-ball." Yuri corrected. "Wanna eat?"

They wandered towards the foot carts, and true to his word, Yuuri shared a candy apple with Yuri, refusing his husband a single bite. It was tart under the caramel, delicious to bite down on. The sprinkles added a nice texture. He did have mercy and share the cotton candy. They decided to eat real food back at the hotel from room service.

Yuuri begged off any more rides, watching his husband and son ride a few smaller roller coaster, a pirate ship that swung back and forth, and even a swing that spun around. They came off, smiling and laughing. Maybe PlayLand hadn't been the worst thing that Victor could have picked. He thought he saw a few glimpses of blue tinsel out of the corner of his eye. The clown appeared to be giving him a wide berth. 

“Oh the carousel! Let's!” Victor grabbed each of their hands and began to haul them towards the thing.

The horses were some of the most beautiful that Yuuri had ever seen. They were hand painted, delicate, and rose and fell in time with the music. The melody was almost haunting. Yuri selected a black horse, and Victor chose a white. Yuuri wasn't sure he could stand the up and down motion and selected a pretty bench.

He closed his eyes, determined to enjoy this ride, and the idea of childhood. Just as the ride started and the music began, there was a tap on his arm. He opened his eyes, and a gloved hand waved. It was that damn tinsel haired clown again.

Yuuri gave a scream and bolted up as the ride began. He ducked and dodged between the horses, shoving past parents who were holding their children on the horses. The clown toddled behind him, nearly snatching the back of his shirt.

“Yuuri!” Victor called to him. “You have to sit down! You're not allowed to be moving while the ride is is in motion.”

“It's the clown again!” he called over his shoulder.

“What clown?” Yuuri froze. He spun and looked. The clown was no longer in pursuit. He stood between Victor and Yuri's horses. He put a hand on each of them, eyes roving around for the clown. When none appeared, he exhaled. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing from heat exhaustion. When the ride was over, they headed back towards the arcade. Victor said he wanted to try and win a toy.

As Yuuri was watching Victor and play a water gun game, cheering them on by turn, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He turned, and there was the clown, watching Victor and Yuri intently with exaggerated interest. Yuuri cringed and stepped away. The clown took a big step next to him. 

“Are we done?” Yuuri asked loudly. The bell rang and the clown applauded loudly. Victor received a stuffed bear. The clown put his hands on Yuuri's shoulder and shook him in mock excitement. The brunet cringed.

“Oi!” Yuri stomped over. “I thought I told you earlier to get lost. Go traumatize some kids, you Pennywise knock off.”

The clown wiped fake tears from his eyes and looked beseechingly at Victor. He burst into laughter. The clown looked pleased and clapped his hands again. The older Russian handed the bear to Yuuri.

“Please leave my husband alone. You are making him very nervous.” Victor smiled at the blue haired clown. The clown looked between the two of them. He made big eyes and faked a giggle behind his gloved hand. He waggled his eyebrows and pointed between the two of them.

“Get LOST!” Yuri roared. “You're annoying and creepy.”

The clown turned and skedaddled, peeking over his shoulder at them. Yuuri shuddered in spite of himself.

“He's been chasing me all day.”

“I know,” Victor beamed. “It's been delightful to watch.”

“You just let him torment me!” the Japanese man's jaw dropped.

“Well, it was just so precious to watch Yurio defending you.” he gestured to the blond, who was clutching the stuffed cat and staring at Victor. “Besides, it's just a clown.”

“Did you never watch House Of 1,000 Corpses?” Yuri blinked. The older man looked confused.

“No. And it doesn't sound like a movie that you should have been watching, either.”

“Clowns are awful.” Yuri rolled his eyes before a lecture could be started. He really didn't want to hear what Victor thought of a movie he hadn't even seen. “Can we go and get dinner now? I think I have tetanus from touching stuff here.”

They headed back through the park, towards the car. Victor reached for Yuuri's hand. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hold hands with him, knowing that he was enjoying his torture. But he gave his fingers a squeeze as they got into the car. The Russian's began to argue about what might be best for supper tonight.

“Did you have fun?” he asked, to cut through the bickering.

“It was a beautiful memory I'll cherish.” Victor sighed happily. “Just as lovely as I remember.”

“If this was the best, what other terrible things happened to him?” Yuri muttered. Yuuri choked on a laugh and grinned at his son as they headed to that night's hotel. In the rearview mirror, a blue haired clown waved goodbye.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor is certain that you can trust GPS. Yuri has questions. Ft: Victor with the dad jokes

Finding the ice rink had been easy enough. Yuri typed it into his phone and pulled up an address with directions. Technology was a wonderful thing, and the ice rink had been nice. Of course they were trying to take a vacation, and that generally included skating. But the ice called to them.

They hadn't really practiced, either. They had just strapped on their rented skates and went in easy circles. The rink hadn't been busy, so it felt like having the place to themselves. Yuri skated backwards while the love birds held hands. Gross, he thought to himself. Totally nasty.

They skated until they all felt calmer. The rented skates didn't fit as well, and Yuri felt a little bit more restless, somehow. It was like almost but not quite scratching an itch. He turned in his skates, with their blades just this side of too dull to be useful. He followed the couple out and back to the car. Victor claimed he didn't need Yuri's directions home.

“Are you sure?” Yuuri looked worried. 

“Of course!” Victor's famous heart shaped smile and a wink. 

“I think paper maps are better.” he tilted his head to the side.

“But they could be outdated by the time they get to us. Especially around here. And construction happens, so the GPS will reroute us automatically. We won't have to worry about any of that.” he waved away the imaginary concern.

“Should we double check?”

“It's fine, Papa.” the name slipped from his mouth easily, without a stumble. Without even a thought. Yuuri just smiled. He seemed to like nothing more than getting his title. Yuri only turned pink after he said it.   
“The GPS will get us where we need to go.”

“If you two are sure.” Yuuri shrugged and sat back. If he was willing to let Victor drive, then he had to let Victor make these choices. And most people relied on GPS instead of a paper map.“It was nice to skate for awhile, wasn't it?” he murmured.  
“If ice was a personality element, I would say it belonged to all of us.” Victor agreed, taking them to the on ramp of the high way. He glanced at the GPS and got on, merging nicely.

Yuri squirmed in the seat. They were all peacefully tired for a bit, the humming of the car engine and the sound of the cars driving by them a pleasant white noise. He frowned at the scenery passing them by. It didn't look like they were heading towards their next destination, not as he had pictured it. Maybe Victor chose a different route, he thought, deciding to keep quiet about it.

He wriggled again, and took a deep breath.

“Papa?” his voice uncertain, unstable, reaching for something.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Um,” he bit his lip. “Never mind. It's stupid.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“You know you can tell us anything, right?” Victor piped up. 

“I know, old man. You have an unhealthy obsession with my life.”

“That's because of how much we love you!”

“But is there something that's bothering you?” Katsudon asked softly. There was a heavy pause, with only the highway sounds around them for a moment. He nodded and shrugged. He glanced up, catching those warm brown eyes in the rear view.

“Maybe,”

“Whatever it is, you know it's our job to help you. Don't you?” he frowned. “I would never make you tell me something. I just want you to know that I love you, and I will always help you you when you need me.”

“I know that, Katusdon.”

They were quiet for a few moments. Yuri rested his head against the car window, thinking. To his surprise, Victor didn't pry or push. The adults seemed content to let him stew in silence, making up his mind about what he wanted to do.

“How did you know you were gay?”

“What makes you think I'm gay?” Victor spoke up.

“You're married to a man.” Yuri stared at him. “Is that not?”

“You're making assumptions. You know that I've dated women.” Victor smirked at him.

“Fine, what are you then?”

“I'm Victor,”

“But who are you attracted to?”

“People!” he laughed. Yuri groaned and slumped down in the seat, regretting that he had even tried to have this conversation with someone like Victor. He should have anticipated these kinds of problems. 

“It's not always about being straight or gay, you know?” Yuuri turned to look at him. “Some people like both. Some like one. Some like neither. Some don't like anyone.” 

“So how do you know?”

“Well,” he said slowly. “I think it's different for everyone. I hadn't considered liking men until I met Victor.”

“So you liked women before?”

“I think I was less attracted to a gender and more to different people for who they are inside. But there's nothing wrong with knowing that you're attracted to a gender and not the other. Everyone ticks differently, and it's fine.”

“It's fine?” it came out as a question and not a repetition.

“As long as everyone is consenting and comfortable, it's fine. If someone is uncomfortable, or scared, then it isn't fine. And you have to figure out how to make it fine. And sometimes that's really hard.   
Sometimes it means giving up something you really like or want, or understanding that maybe you're better served not being together.”

“But if you love someone, shouldn't you always be together?”

“No,” Yuuri said in a serious tone. “Loving someone means that you want the best for them, and they want the best for you. The best thing might mean not being together. Love isn't always enough to conquer all, no matter what the Disney movies told you.”

They drove a bit long, and at this point, Yuri was sure that they weren't going the right way. But he wasn't going to say anything yet. He fiddled with the zipper on his jacket, letting Katsudon's words sinking in.

“Papa? If me being with you hadn't been the best thing, would you have kept me?”

“We would have done everything we could do to make sure that you being with us was the best thing for you. If, after doing everything in our power, it still wasn't t he best, then we would have turned the world over to find the place that was best for you.”

“Even if it hurt to lose me?”

“Even if it hurt, no matter how much it hurt.” Yuuri said firmly. “But Yuri, the way we love you, we could never lose you. Not anymore than Grandpa could lose you. Because you belong to us, no matter where you go. That's what family means, baby.”

Yuri chewed his lips. The sun was going down, and darkness was quickly falling. He was almost positive that this was not where they were meant to be going. But he had other things that were worrying   
him now. 

“It's okay if you don't want to define yourself, it's fine. You're so young, still. And so many things can change before you've even thought about it.”

“I know I like Otabek.”he mumbled, his face bright red. “And I think I like boys more than I like girls.”

“And that's fine! That's perfectly fine.” Yuuri held his hand back, and the boys fingers found their way between his. He gave a squeeze. Even though it wasn't very comfortable for his shoulder to be twisted, he didn't want to move. Not if this was giving his son some grounding in what had to be a difficult moment.  
“Dad and I will love you regardless.”

“What if Otabek doesn't like me like that?”

“I think there's only one way to find out.” Victor smiled. “But you don't have to ask him right now. You're both young. Even if you knew that he did, what would it change? You can't go to him right now and be with him. The distance wouldn't be any shorter, would it love?”

“No,” he agreed. He squeezed Yuuri's hands again. “But it's hard to feel this way and not say anything about it.”

“I know,” Victor sounded sympathetic. “Relationships like this are rarely ever easy.”

“But how did you know you loved Papa?”

“Because Papa swept me off my feet in ways that no one else has ever come close to. And Papa—he wanted to be worthy of my love. He never felt like he was entitled to it. Even though I wanted to give it to him. He's the only person who has ever left me breathless and surprised me.”

“And love changes and evolves.” Yuuri added. “The best types of relationships grow with the people. Dad and I have grown together. Dad made me want to grow to be the best person I could be for him.”

Yuri sighed and let go of Yuuri's hand. He slumped down in the seat, staring up at the ceiling of the car. He listened to the rushing of the wheels, contemplating all the things his parents had told him.

“I love you so much, Yura.” Victor said suddenly. 

“I love you,” he mumbled.

Yuuri undid his sea tbelt and clambered into the back. He sat into the middle, wrapping his arms around Yuri. The teenager rested his forehead against his neck.

“Gay, straight, bi, pan, everything, nothing. We don't care. I don't care.” he whispered fiercely in his ear. Yuri hugged him tightly.  
“I love you.”

“I love you.” he smiled at Yuuri. “Old man, how much longer to the hotel?”

“I have no idea,” he shrugged. “We were lost forever ago. But you had some really important things to discuss, kiddo. I wasn't going to interrupt.”

“You should have!” Yuri could have punched him.

“Well, the GPS is rerouting us for the third time. I'm sure this time it'll figure it out. We lost signal once or twice.”

“Are you telling me we are just driving aimlessly?” Yuuri sighed.

“Not aimlessly! The GPS is sending us somewhere. We just don't know where. It's a little adventure, that's all.”

“I shouldn't have let you pick the route.” the brunet rubbed his eyes.

“Relax. We'll get where we're going eventually.”

They drove for another twenty minutes before the phone made a noise. Victor glanced at it and smiled, getting off on another exit and driving just a bit before he found another on ramp. The pair in   
the backseat didn't say anything. Yuri stayed leaning against Katsudon, playing with the fingers on one of his hands. It was such a small, childlike gesture. Yuuri didn't ask about it, didn't seem that concerned. He let his child touch him, memorize the feeling of his hands. The hands that fed him, the hands that brushed his hair, the hands that took his in the night after a nightmare. 

“We'll be there in fifteen minutes.” Victor turned his head to look at them. Neither of them replied, although it would be nice not to have to stay in the car. They were both feeling cramped and sore from skating. A hot shower would be nice, Yuuri thought, playing with the ends of Yuri's hair.

When they finally parked, all of them stumbled out of the car, blinking, feeling out of sorts. It was almost hypnotizing to be in the car that long. Victor arched his back, his fingertips towards the sky. His back popped and he gave a sigh of relief.

“Come on, my dears. Let's get you to our room for a shower, and then a nice apology dinner after I've left you in the car for so long.”

The three of them made their way to the room, to do exactly as Victor had suggested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I combined the idea of Yuri coming out AND them getting lost!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They FINALLY reach their destination. Yuri thinks for awhile.

“You've been sending postcards?” Yuri blinked as they stopped at a gas station, and Yuuri flipped through the rack. He nodded and shrugged, ignoring the look in Yuri's face.

“Mama likes them. You could send her one, too.” he suggested, comparing two postcards and selecting one. Yuri shook his head. He loved Mama Hiroko, she was wonderful, but he thought postcards were kind of lame. What was he going to write 'Wish You Were Here!' He hated that sentiment. It either implied that you were having a terrible time on vacation and needed a companion to make it better, or it was like rubbing it in that you were on vacation and the other person wasn't.

Why would he wish Mama Hiroko was there anyway? So she could puke her guts out into a hotel trash can, too? Sounded like a real fun time for that lady. This wasn't exactly what he would have called a vacation fit for he and Otabek either.

Yuri hadn't really written anyone the whole time he was gone. He wasn't sure what he'd write about. He had been texting Otabek, and had called Dedushka a few times. Dedushka was interested to hear all that happened. And Yuri maybe did skip over the part about the food poisoning, and he made the thought of getting lost seem like a big joke.

He didn't want Dedushka to think poorly of the old man and Katsudon.

“This is our last stop!” Victor looked thrilled. “We'll finally be at the beach!”

“This whole time you've been driving us to the beach?” Yuri glared. “We could have gone to one much closer.”

“Sure, but we wouldn't have had all these adventures on the way.”

“You call them adventures, we call them torment.” the kid sighed. Victor just put his hand to his chest.

“You wound me. You're not enjoying all that we're doing?” he gasped, looking desperately hurt. If someone didn't know him well, they would have really believed it.

“No! No, I didn't enjoy food poisoning, or that gross hotel, or getting lost, or that creepy clown that wanted to take Katsudon to his weird clown den and have his way with him.”

“Please don't remind me.” the brunet whispered. “He is there, in my dreams.”

“Well, hurry and get back in the car so we can get to the beach!” Victor rushed them. They clambered back in side. Yuri found himself a little excited, even though this trip had taught him nothing other than he couldn't really trust Victor's planning.

But the hotel was nice, and they finally had adjoining rooms. He had a room to himself, without the love birds. Although, if he was being honest, they were probably enjoying not having him in a bed next to him. Or just not having him around making a face or fake gagging sounds when they tried to hold hands or kiss.

It was warm, too. He had to appreciate that. Maybe Victor wasn't entirely stuffed full of bad ideas wrapped in good intentions. He put on shorts and sandals and knocked on their door. Katsudon opened to look out at him.

“I'm going to walk around by the water.”

“Are you sure?” Katsudon glanced behind him. Yuri really didn't want to know what he was looking at, what Victor was doing behind him. Probably something disgusting.   
“Do you have your phone?”

“Yes,” he rolled his eyes. “And the tracker is on. And I'll answer any messages you send me right away. And...”

“Okay, Okay, I guess it's fine.” Yuuri laughed. “Do you want some cash? There's a boardwalk. You could get your dinner there. How does that sound?”

He just held out his hand and took the cash. He waved. Yuuri watched him walking down the hallway, tapping his fingers on the door frame. Yuri could tell he still didn't love having him out of his sight, especially in a new place. 

The boardwalk was crowded with other holiday goers. He wove his way through, approached a stand promising sausages and french fries and bought an order. He received the little cardboard boat and sat down on a bench. 

He watched the people surging by. He watched the kids with balloons floating above strings. He watched parents holding the small hands of their kids. He watched groups of young people, walking shoulder to shoulder, shoving each other and laughing. He watched couples, holding hands and whispering secrets that only mattered to them. 

He nibbled the fries, feeling very alone for the first time in a long time. Yuri had been surrounded by people for so long. At the ice rink he had his rink mates, and at the orphanage, he had everyone there. And now he had the old man and the piggy. 

But even then, he had always felt sort of alone, he thought. At the orphanage, he felt alone and scared. He knew that Deduskha was there, was trying. And Dedushka would come and visit him as much as he could. It was just a slow process, and he just had to hold on and wait. Yuri had thrown himself right into waiting.

At the rink, he had felt different than the other skaters. Everyone was dedicated, Yakov ensured that. But they seemed to enjoy it more. They were skating for the love of it. Yuri was skating because he saw it as his only ticket to survival.

And Yuri would always survive. He had survived the time with Mama. He had survived Levi. The orphanage. Feeling so different from everyone else. Survived when Victor had left to Japan and he had chased him there. He had thrived when he had to leave Dedushka and move in with the married couple. And not to forget Adrian, he thought.

He came out from all of that alive.

Yuri crumbled the last bit of bun from his sausage and scattered it, seagulls swooping in to take up the crumbs. He watched them for a few minutes, so intent that he did not notice someone come and sit next to him.

“Hey there,” he almost jumped a mile, turned and blinked at the young man next to him. Blond hair, a little darker than his own. Dark blue eyes that crinkled at the edges when he smiled like he was at Yuri.  
“Having a good time?”

“Sure,” he shrugged. “Are you?”

“Been bored. But then I saw you.” he scooted a little bit closer. “Are you alone?”

“What a creepy question.” Yuri stood up.

“No, no, no! I'm sorry!” the boy scrambled to stand up. “I just wanted to make sure you didn't need to tell someone that you were going on a walk with me.”

“Is that what we're doing?” he raised an eyebrow.

“In a well lit, well populated area. I'm Sammy.”

“I'm Yuri.” they shook hands. Sammy flashed him an easy, broad smile and pulled him off the bench. 

“Come on. I want to take you towards the water and see if we can find some shells or something.” he urged him away from the concessions. They headed down a flight of steps that led them to the sand. Soft and warm, giving way to their feet.

They walked to the lip of the water, listening to the crashing of the waves. It reminded Yuri of their time in Hasetsu. But the water was biting, cold even in the warm weather. Things in Russia always seemed much harsher than the things in Japan. 

“Keep your eyes peeled.” Sammy directed. “I've seen a few pretty ones.”

They walked slowly, listening to the birds and the water. True to his word, Sammy never led them too far from the boardwalk. He stopped suddenly and picked a pink, perfect shell. He smiled, offered it to Yuri in the flat of his open palm.

“Here!”

“Thank you.” he said softly. He touched the ridges of the shell, turned it in his hand. It went neatly in his pocket.

“Are you from here? Are you in school?”

“I'm a figure skater.” he said almost without thinking. “I go to school online.”

“You skate! That's so cool!” Sammy lit up. Yuri pulled out his phone and showed him a video of one of his practices. Sammy seemed in awe.

“The way you move... that's incredible! I always wished that I could do something like that.” he handed the phone back.  
“Do you have to hurry home?”

“Why?” 

“Some of the kids around here meet at the beach at night. We hang out, drink, make a fire and poke it with sticks. You'd like it.”

A sick feeling rose in Yuri's stomach. He remembered the last time he had gone with a local youth to get rowdy. He didn't want to do something like that again. 

“I don't think so.” he said softly. “Not this time.”

“Can I take you out to dinner?” Sam offered instead. It was sweet, in the way that inexperienced young men are sweet. It was also painful, in the way that young men who are trying are so often painful.

“I don't think so.” he blushed. “I um... I'm sort of seeing someone. And I don't really...” he trailed off. “But it was nice to meet you. Thank you for the sea shell.”

Sammy looked disappointed, but waved as Yuri walked back up to the boardwalk. He went back to the concession stand and bought an ice cream. He licked it idly as he ducked into a souvenir shop. He found a postcard of a pretty sunset and purchased it. He headed back to the hotel as the streetlights began to come on.

A quick text to Yuuri and Victor let them know he was back in his room. The adjoining door cracked open. The brunet stood there, smiling, glasses on. He was swaddled in one of the fluffy robes the hotel provided.

“Did you have a good time? See anything fun? We'll head down to the beach together tomorrow.”

“It was fine. I met a kid. He invited me to the beach tonight.”

“Are you going?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I don't think he just wanted to be friends. And it felt icky.”

“Well,” he yawned. “You shouldn't go places that make you uncomfortable. Did you eat enough, baby? Need something from room service?”

“No.” he shook his head. “I ate. But um, can we go to the post office tomorrow?”

“The post? Sure. Any reason in particular?”

Yuri held out the postcard and the seashell.

“I found these for Mama Hiroko. Well, I didn't find the shell. The boy I met did. I thought she'd like it.” he looked hopeful, like a child holding out a craft they had made by hand. “Do you think she might? Or do you think she has enough shells?”

“She doesn't have one from here. Or from you. So that'll make it special.” he winked. “We can go to the post office tomorrow. I have a few things to send back, too.” he kissed Yuri on the top of his head. Yuri snuggled into him for just a second.  
“That was very thoughtful of you, sweetheart. I'm sure she'll appreciate it.” he lingered in the doorway. 'Do you need anything else?”

“No. I'll just watch a show and take a shower.” he waved off Yuuri.

“All right then. Good night, my love.”

“Good night, Papa.”

He laid down on his bed, the television flickering over his face. The shell and the postcard rested on the dresser, so that he wouldn't forget them. He pulled out his phone, pulled up a contact. He stared at the last text messages he had sent before taking in a deep breath. He clicked and began to type out a new message.

Yuri: I miss you, Beka.  
Yuri: I wish you were here.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Victor, and Yuri start the long ride home.

"So no more stops?" Yuri asked. "We're really just going home."

"We are really and truly on our way home." Victor confirmed as she shut the trunk of the car. "Although I feel like I should be insulted. I worked hard to plan this trip."

"And we are very grateful." Yuuri said smoothly. "We've all learned a lot. And now we want to go home."

The beginning of the ride back was fine. It was early, and they watched the sun peeking over the horizon, staining the sky pink. Yuri would never tell, but he loved this time of day. He loved being up early, when there was no one else around to spoil what could be a perfect day. The pink faded to gold, and the sun was well up when they stopped for gas. Victor brought them all out a prewrapped pastry and a bottle of orange juice.

"No," Yuri handed his back. "I don't think I could stomach it."

"Oh of course not," Yuuri gave him a sympathetic look. "Here," he handed him a bottle of water.

They drove further, Yuuri dozing against the headrest, his glasses sliding down. Yuri wanted to reach out and pluck them them off, fold them into his pocket so they wouldn't get broken. His fingers twitched with the urge, but he stayed still in his seat.

Victor's phone pinged then, causing the older Russian to frown. The map was rerouting them, something about construction or an accident. Yuri wasn't sure, and it didn't matter. He was drifting, floating in a place between wakefulness and sleep. His body was warm and relaxed, the sound of the tires against the asphalt whispering an almost lullaby.

Victor made a sharp turn down another road, this one bumpy and ill kept. He sat up a bit, curious about what kind of route the GPS had taken them on this time Last time they had been lost forever. The road, while slightly neglected, had some scenery that was kind of interesting. There were trees, flowers. Wide open fields with nothing growing in them, no crops planted.

There was a house. One of the big ones, with the peeling paint. The windows mended with duct tape and cardboard in some of them. Children milled around outside, in groups, by themselves. A few adults hung around, smoking and staring at the kids.

Yuri's heart went cold in his chest. He inhaled sharply, causing Victor to look at him.

"Yura? Are you okay?" he looked over at the building. "Ah, I see."

"Huh?" Yuuri snorted, waking up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, darling. Go back to sleep."

Yuuri stubbornly rubbed his eyes. He glanced around them, then turned in the seat so he could look at Yuri. He frowned, seeing the way the kid was chewing his lip and staring at the house as they drove by.

"What is that place?"

"An orphanage." Victor responded shortly. If Yuuri could have ripped his heart out, he would have. Of course. Of course this was a trigger for Yuri. He reached back, his hand an offering to the boy. A smaller hand was slipped into his, and he squeezed. The rubbed his thumb over those fingers, hoping to provide some sense of security.

He seemed fine once the place was out of their vision. He released Yuuri's hand and sat back into his seat. They could hear the game system switching on. Victor and Yuuri exchanged a look. Victor gave his light, easy smile and a shrug. Nothing ever bothered him for too long, really. But it unsettled Yuuri. He bit his lip and tried to read a magazine.

His mother once told him that when you became a parent, your senses changed. Your ears listened for things they never had before. Your eyes saw things that were likely invisible to others. Your fingers felt differently. He had laughed at that. But Mama had insisted. She said that this was because you would never know another person the way that you knew your child.

Yuuri hadn't expected such a thing to happen for him. After all, they had not given birth to Yurotchka. They had not known him as a little kid. They had not wiped snotty noses or skinned knees, hadn't cleaned sticky sweets from his fingers. Hadn't sat up in the night through colds and fevers. They hadn't read bedtime stories and tucked him in, nursed growing pains...

But Mama was right, as she so often was. His ears strained for Yuri. For hitches in his breath, for changes in the tone of his voice. His fingers had become adept at feeling for a fever. His eyes took in his child, watched for things that could indicate discomfort and unhappiness. He knew these things without realizing how he knew them. Those years that they didn't have Yuri didn't mean that the time they had him now was any less raising a child.

Yuuri listened to the backseat. Nothing seemed amiss. He told himself he was fretting over nothing, and was better served to either rest or finish his magazine. As soon as they got back home, they would be back in training, and he might not have time to relax this way. He slowly turned the pages, reading in the article.

At their lunch stop, Yuri was fully asleep in the backseat. Victor glanced at him, waiting for Yuuri to make the decision.

"Let him sleep."

"Are you certain?"

"We can bring something back for him. We'll eat in the car. I can wake him to eat and then he can go to the bathroom before we start off again." he closed his door gently. "Part of the vacation is to rest, let him rest." they headed into the restaurant, ordered Yuri an order of pirozhki. It took a little longer than they had anticipated, but it was lunch time and the place was busy.

It was lovely, really, to walk out with the paper sack. The steam curled with a tantalizing aroma. Victor carried styrofoam cups with drinks and napkins and plastic forks and spoons. They knew it wasn't great to use to many disposable items, but just this once would be all right. They laughed as they pushed open the door and headed back to the car.

Yuuri almost dropped the bag when he saw the sight in the car.

A blond haired kid, tears dripping down his face, arms curled tightly around himself. He started rushing. Victor blinked in confusion and chased after him. Yuuri wrenched open the car door, the kid tumbling out. Victor set the drinks on top of the car and took the paper sack. Yuuri swayed, not speaking, not asking the questions as he held Yuri.

"You were gone." the kid gasped out.

"I am sorry." he said softly. "You were sleeping and we didn't want to wake you up. We didn't know it would take as long as it did. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to scare you."

"You were gone,and I was alone."

"Yura?" Victor tilted his head to the side.

"Just open the car door." Yuuri said under his breath "I'll sit with him."

He coaxed Yuri into the car, sitting in the backseat. He popped a straw in his drink, helped him take a few sips. His cheeks were red and tearstained. His eyes were shining. But he seemed to be calming down a bit. Yuuri handed him the pirzohki and watched him eat before trying his own food.

"You had a nightmare." he recognized the confused, wild look in his son's eyes from other nights. "Wanna talk about it?"

"No," it was flat, exhausted.

"Might feel better if you do." Yuri glared down at his lunch and picked at it. The adults remained silent, enjoying their food. The message was clear. We are not moving on until this is discussed.

"I was back there. The orphanage. But it was like now. I was big, and not little." he swallowed hard. "And you weren't there. Neither of you I looked all over. I was running down the hall, opening doors, calling out your names. And not just your real names. I was calling for Dad and Papa, because I thought if you heard me say that, you'd come and find me." he stopped short. "But you didn't come. No one came. There was no one there, not even the care workers. No other kids. Just me, running down that dark hall with the nothingness."

"Dad and I would never, ever..." Yuuri whispered fiercely. He wanted to grab the boy and hold him close, he wanted to clutch him to him to reassure him.

"I know. It's stupid." he kicked at the seat in front of him. He was disappointed in himself, Yuuri thought. He knew how difficult it could be when old traumas hit you again. This was something they could take to Dr. Schultz, maybe.

"It isn't stupid." Victor spoke up from the front seat. "Everyone has thinks that are hard for them. Everyone has things that they carry with them, my love. You know this."

"I don't like to think about it." he admitted "Some of the kids there never ever got to leave. So maybe I'm luckier than they."

"Just because you left doesn't mean your time there wasn't difficult or harmful to you." Victor shook his head. "And no one can tell you how you have to feel about it."

"I don't want to feel anything about it at all."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, darling." Yuuri gave him a smile that was tinged in sadness. "We don't get to ignore or avoid the things that have shaped us. We can try, but it never ends well."

They ate their lunch in relative silence. When Victor had put the last of his trash in the paper sack, Yuuri moved to go sit up front. The blond's hand came and gripped his wrist, giving it a little squeeze.

"Can you sit with me? Just for a little bit?" he sounded embarrassed and afraid to ask. He must be really bothered, Yuuri thought, to be able to say anything about it at all. How could he say no to something like this? It was such a small request, it was such an easy desire to fulfill. Yuuri thought about the things he had been told in his psychology class, about the need for touch. He wasn't going to be the one to deny his son.

The brunet settled back. He mad no motion to hug the kid, or even touch him. Instead, he waited for what he was sure was going to happen. And indeed, Yuri did snuggle up to his side. Arms wound around his waist, the boy tucked neatly beside him. He let one hand scratch at Yuri's scalp, feeling him relax.

"Tired, baby?" Yuri just shrugged. "I'll be here. Go to sleep." he played with the ends of his hair, rubbed the back of his neck. These were the things that he had learned would make the boy calm, would send him into a melt. He just shook his head.

"I don't want to have another nightmare." he mumbled, stubbornly ignoring sleep like only children can.

"If you do, I'll still be here. But it's going to be a long, long drive baby."

"He won't sleep tonight if you let him nap too much now." Victor said over his shoulder.

"Yes, he will. He'll be tired from sitting up and being in the car. Don't fuss, Vitya." Yuuri hummed. Yuri yawned, nuzzling into Yuuri as much as he could. "Papa is here, everything is okay."

He kept hold of the boy as he drifted off, his fingers no longer clutching at his shirt. He leaned his own head back.

Victor looked at them and thought about how wonderful his family looked. He drove carefully, minding the bumps, not wanting them to be disturbed. It would be a long drive, and they deserved the comfort where they could find it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor says there's a light on, and they're going to have to make one stop. Yuri isn't as thrilled as he could be. Until....

“Why are we stopping?” Yuri demanded.

“Because the car needs to have the oil changed. The light came on.” Victor pointed at the dashboard. Yuri crossed his arms, pouting.

“You said we were going home.”

“I know. And we are. We will.” he grinned. “Just this little stop. Okay?”

“Fine,” he slumped his way out of the car. The hotel was nice enough. Victor checked them in and gave Yuri a key.

“We are adjoined this time. You're next to us. Is that okay?”

“It's fine.” he shrugged, lifting his bag higher on his shoulder. “I just want to get in, Vitya.”

Victor just nodded and pointed to a door. Yuri stuck in his keycard, yanked the handle when it turned green. He frowned when he saw the backpack resting on the other bed. He glanced at the card. This had to be the room that Victor pointed out. He knew it was. He was sure that it was.

“Hello?” he called, uncertain.

The bathroom door opened, and Otabek stepped out, wearing loose sweatpants and a fresh t shirt, toweling his hair dry. He gave a soft, slow smile to Yuri, who dropped his bag and ran for him. Otabek caught him easily, holding the blond boy close to his chest.

“You're here.” Yuri said, feeling breathless.

“You said you missed me.”

“So you came here? All the way here.” he blinked, pulling his head back to look at Beka. The older boy just nodded.

“Victor said he thought you'd want me here.”

“I did. I wanted you here all along.” Beka walked them to the bed, where they flopped down together, laying next to each other. Yuri rolled to lay on his side, his finger tracing down the curves and ridges of Otabek's face.

“What are you thinking about, Yuri?”

“Everything,” he said softly. “How much I missed you. How weird this vacation has been.”

“What happened?”

“We stayed at the nastiest hotel. There was a guy there, and I swear he had some sort of weird sex trafficking ring or orgy thing going on there. Even the roaches were disgusted with the perversion that went on there.”

“Really?” Otabek cracked one of his rare grins, and Yuri felt the butterflies exploding in his belly. He nodded a few times, trying to focus on talking and now the way he was feeling.

“He made some really gross accusations towards the old man and Katsudon, though. He asked what a little boy was doing out driving around with two grown men.” he made a face. “I was so pissed off. I punched him.”

“You did not! You didn't tell me that!”

“I did punch him. And he deserved it, and more.” Yuri mumbled. “Sicko.”

“What else did you do?”

“We went to that creepy cat cafe that I mentioned. I wish we had gone to one of the ones where you can sit down and play with all the cats. But we do have Kuzco and Dumb-Dumb at home. And I don't think they'd let me get another kitty.”

“Probably not.” Otabek agreed.

“But look!” Yuri shot up and grabbed his bag, pulling out the stuffed orange cat. “I won this at PlayLand.”

“PlayLand? The death amusement park?”

“It's under new management.” Yuri shrugged. “Victor was really excited to go. It's run by clowns though.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Beka, no, I mean really there are a bunch of clowns. One of them had a fetish for Yuuri. It was disturbing. It's bad enough that I have to watch Victor fawn all over him. I don't need to see other people. He had a bad wig, too.”

“Well, we should just throw him in prison.” Otabek rolled his eyes. He loved watching Yuri talk, he thought. He loved how animated he got. He loved how he lit up. It was a relief to see Yuri like this after everything that had happened with Adrian. He had been so afraid that he'd lost this part of Yuri, this fire that burned inside him.

How many times had the fire come close to going out, he wondered. And who had been there to fan the flames the other times? He owed a debt of gratitude to whomever that person was. 

“He was pretty terrible.” Yuri shrugged. “We got lost, too. A couple times. The GPS wasn't awful, but I don't think that Dad knows what he's doing all the time.”

“Dad?”

“Mmm, he tells Papa and I that he does but--.”

“Wait. Dad? Papa?” he watched the blush spreading across the delicate skin of the Russian. Those big green eyes, so breath taking, so ferocious, didn't meet him.

“Um. I meant Victor and Yuuri. The old man and the piggy.”

“I don't care what you call them. I was just surprised, that's all.”

“Well, I kind of called Victor 'Dad' because of that old guy at the hotel. I thought if he thought that Victor was my dad, he wouldn't try and like, call the cops with the plate number or anything. I wanted to scare him off.”

“Of course,” Otabek nodded seriously. He bit on the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. It was amazing to watch Yuri going through the mental gymnastics to make it make sense. “I totally understand.”

“Right, so if Victor got a title it only made sense that Yuuri did. I didn't want him to be upset about it.” he reasoned. “And I didn't want to have two people called 'Dad' because that's just kind weird. So he can be Papa.”

“He does look like a Papa.” 

Yuri cleared his throat and fiddled with the orange fur on the stuffed cat. He couldn't quite meet Otabek in the eye.

“But we went to the beach. And we were supposed to be going home but—you know the rest.”

“Victor said that you were having a little bit of a rough time. He said that you'd driven by somewhere and it kind of rattled you.” Otabek prompted. “And he thought that it might make you feel better if you got to see me.”

“So he called you here?”

“Paid for my ticket and cab ride.”

“I wonder if one of the lights was even on in the dashboard at all.” Yuri mumbled.

“You couldn't tell?”

“No! They all look lit up at some point! I just ignore it.” he admitted. He dropped back onto the bed on his back. He played with the cat little bit.  
“He didn't tell you why I was having a hard time?”

“He told me that it was for you to talk to me about, and he didn't feel like it was his place to tell me. But he did say that you were doing okay, and there wasn't anything wrong with your health, and that he and Yuuri could take perfectly good care of you.”

“I see,”

“He told me that while they could take care of you just fine, he thought I could give you something that maybe that weren't able to. What is it, Yuri? Can you tell me?” he brushed some of the blond strands out of his face.

“We drove by an orphanage.”

“You did,” it wasn't a question, but he nodded anyway. 

“And there were a lot of kids outside. It's not the one I stayed it, but it made me think of it. And I had a nightmare.” he admitted. “And I've had a hard time sleeping since then. Even if Katsudon was in the backseat with me.”

“It's nothing to be embarrassed about.” Otabek caught his chin and turned it to look at him. “No one thinks any less of you.”

“I think less of me.” he grumbled. “It was so long ago. And I don't remember most of it.”

“That doesn't mean it didn't hurt you, Yura.” he murmured. Yuri rolled his shoulders, seeming ti shrug the whole thing off. 

“Either way. I'm glad you're here though.” he smiled again, dropping the cat and wrapping his arms around Otabek. The older boy laughed and hugged him tightly to his chest.  
“I miss you terribly.”

“We talked every day.”

“But it wasn't the same.”

“No,” Beka agreed. “It wasn't the same.” 

They laid there on the bed, their cheeks pressed together. Beka's fingers ran up and down Yuri's back, tracing his spine, memorizing the bumps of his ribs. He almost seemed too thin, but Beka knew that was just because he was an athlete.

“I should get you fed.” he said, still.

“I don't want to get up. I can't believe that this is real and that you're here. How long are you here?” he moved his head to look at Beka in his dark eyes.

“I'm riding home with you, and then I'll fly back to Almanty.”

“It doesn't feel long enough.” a sigh, full of something heartfelt. Sometimes being together was almost as painful as the distance. It just reminded them how they couldn't have this all the time, no matter how much they wanted it. 

A taste to the starving. A sip of water in the desert. Yuri shoved at him gently until Beka was on his back, then climbed to straddle him. He grabbed his hands, played with the fingers. He examined the nails, noted how short Otabek kept them. He traced over the calluses, kissed the knuckles. 

Beka's hands always looked like he felt a man's hands should look. They reminded him of hard work. They reminded him of strength. These were hands that could take care of him. These were hands that could catch him when he fell.

He kissed each of the palms and held them against his chest. 

“Yuri?”

“How much do I mean to you?”

“Everything.” the response was soft. “You're everything to me.”

“Let's get dinner.” he reached over to the bedside table, grabbing the menu for room service. He didn't get off Otabek, and the other boy didn't complain. He simply rested his hands on Yuri's hips, thumbs rubbing over the sharpness of his bones.

How could someone feel so frail and be so strong, he wondered, not for the first time. How could someone be so strong outside and so delicate on the inside. Yuri was a wonder. He nodded when the boy made a suggestion for his dinner, felt his heart jump into his throat when the blond leaned over again and grabbed the phone to place their order.

Other boys his age would never understand how to do this. They were spending time in classrooms, in the backseats of cars with others. In gymnasiums slow dancing. In clubs fast dancing. But Yuri was never born for that kind of life.

Otabek knew he should have removed Yuri. He wasn't sure if he wanted to pull him in tighter or make him get off. It didn't matter. Not really. He realized he couldn't lift his hands from those hips. Yuri smiled down at him.

“Are your dads gonna threaten to kill me now?” he joked. Yuri groaned and bopped him with a pillow.

“They aren't my dads.”

“They are. You're the one who named them that.”

“Fiiiine,” he whined. “I guess they are. And they're not too bad. But don't tell them that. I gotta keep 'em on their toes.”

“I am quite sure that you always keep them on their toes.” Otabek snorted.

In the room next door, Yuuri rested his head on Victor's chest. They were quiet and calm together. Victor's hair rubbed the back of his head.

“It was a kind thing to do, Vitya.” he murmured. 

“All I could think was how much I would need you if I was feeling that way. And what I would do to have you near me.”

“Otabek loves him, too.”

“I know.” Victor sighed deeply. “And someday it will break my heart to see him go. But...” he kissed Yuuri's head.  
“Maybe that's what it means to have a child.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it, you guys! The end of the road trip fic! I hope you all enjoyed! As always, if you have a prompt please send it my way.

**Author's Note:**

> All right, here's where I hold out my little tin cup. What do YOU want to see happen on the vacation? My only other idea is ending up at a sketchy hotel and they sleep in the car because it is so awful. What else should they see? What else should happen?


End file.
